Sunday, November 29, 2009

If we're debating who has suffered a bigger fall from once-revered comedy superstar to unfunny hack who churns out nothing but groaners, I'd like to nominate Eddie Murphy. He made Shrek and Dreamgirls, but he has also spent this decade making The Nutty Professor II, Dr. Doolittle 2, Showtime, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, I Spy, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion, Shrek 2, Norbit, Shrek the Third, Meet Dave, and Imagine That. I can't help but think that if the edgy young Murphy from the eighties could time-travel forward and see any of these movies, he would be deeply ashamed of his older self.

You're absolutely right, Scott. Murphy is another prime example. It's not that these guys can't do good work, it's that they seem incapable of waiting for material that's up to their talent.